Construction sites targeted by GLAA officers

Specialist officers in modern slavery and labour exploitation are visiting construction sites across parts of London today (Wed 4 October).

Staff from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) are accompanying colleagues from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on a number of inspections at building projects in the Camden area.

They will be looking for signs of labour exploitation and modern slavery and supporting HSE officers who will be conducting their own compliance checks to ensure construction workers are managing risks to prevent injury or death.

The GLAA is the foremost investigative agency for labour exploitation in the UK. Its mission is to prevent, detect and investigate worker exploitation across the entire economy.

Its Director of Operations, Ian Waterfield, said: “We work in partnership to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation and today’s activity in Camden is a great example of two agencies coming together to ensure the safety and welfare of construction workers is being managed properly.

“We know that the construction industry is a high risk sector for labour exploitation, especially among migrant workers and within supply chains. The industry is beginning to recognise this and we plan to continue working with legitimate businesses rooting out exploitation.

“The penalties for forced labour and moderns slavery are severe and we would urge anyone with information about people being abused for their labour to contact the GLAA on 0800 432 0804 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.